YOU SWAN , HE FROG !

10

When James found out that Emma was staying longer, Jack's expression became complicated. "Aren't you afraid that if Annie finds out, she'll really leave you for good?" 

James stood unnaturally straight, his face unchanging. "Emma and I are just friends now. By the time Annie cools down and comes back, Emma will be gone." 

"She won't find out." 

Jack sighed and said nothing more. 

I watched the whole scene expressionless, increasingly eager to see James's reaction when he finally discovered I was dead. 

Over the next few days, James kept his promise to Emma. There was nothing inappropriate between them; they really interacted like just friends. 

But I kept trying to remember what it was that I had forgotten. Why had I rushed back to celebrate his birthday? 

There was a strange sense of destiny hanging over me. I felt that once I remembered, my soul could be freed from being tethered to James. I would finally be able to move on. 

But every time I tried to recall, my head would feel like it was splitting open. 

Just as I was beginning to lose hope, James took Emma to a mall, and they happened to pass by the baby section. Emma pulled him inside. 

She picked up a tiny princess dress and covered her mouth, laughing softly. 

"I really hope it's a girl. That way I can buy her all sorts of pretty dresses." 

"James, would you prefer a boy or a girl?" she asked, curious. 

"A girl, I think." 

A small smile tugged at James' lips as his gaze fell on the baby clothes. In the sunlight, his dark eyes seemed to shimmer with warmth. "Annie likes girls." Then he added, "But I'd love whatever she has." 

I stood frozen in place. 

The floodgates of my memory burst open, and the pain in my head became unbearable. Image after image rushed in like wild horses breaking free. 

I collapsed on the floor, unmoving. 

I cried, then laughed, then cried again. 

Trembling, I placed a hand over my abdomen. 

I remembered now. 

The reason I came back to celebrate James's birthday, the reason I wanted to give us another chance, was because— 

I was pregnant. 

After getting the test results, I spent an entire night thinking about it before deciding to talk to James. 

The night before his birthday, I rushed back. 

I planned to tell him in person, to give him the news as a birthday present. 

On the drive there, I kept caressing my stomach, imagining how James would react when he found out. 

Would he laugh out loud? 

Probably not. He always kept a straight face. At most, he'd crack a small smile and look at me seriously, saying, "Annie, I'm actually really happy you're pregnant." 

Would he be as excited about the baby as I was? 

He probably would. 

The night he proposed, as he panted softly in my ear, his breath warm against my skin, he had said, "Annie, after we get married, let's have a baby." 

"I know you've always wanted a big family." 

Yeah, I wanted a big family. 

How did James know me so well? 

I laughed at the thought. 

The driver saw my smile through the rearview mirror and asked what was so funny. 

I didn't answer. I just told him to focus on driving. After all, it was raining heavily outside, and safety was important. 

The ride was long, and I fought the urge to text James about the baby right then and there. I scrolled through Twitter instead. 

That's when I noticed someone had followed me. 

It was Emma. 

I opened her profile and saw that all her recent posts were of James. 

Through her Twitter photos, I saw how James had been taking care of her at the hospital during her pregnancy, and how their old feelings had gradually rekindled, just like a newlywed couple expecting their first child. 

"Getting injections hurts, but with you by my side, I'm not afraid." 
—The picture was of James, his calm profile, and their hands intertwined. 

"No matter how much time passes, you're still the one who treats me best." 
—The picture showed James, who was usually a clean freak, peeling shrimp for her. 

"Last night, you fell asleep by the bed. I kissed you secretly. I know you weren't really asleep." 

That post didn't have a photo attached. 

But James had liked it. 

I stared at the screen, my heart constricting, blood rushing to my head. 

How much filth does a person have to witness in one lifetime? 

I didn't want to see anymore. 

And then, fate granted my wish. 

At the edge of a cliff, a red semi-truck lost control and crashed into us. The car tumbled down the cliff, exploding upon impact. 

I had been filled with excitement and joy, rushing to see him. 

But I died with despair and hatred. 

The trauma was so intense that I temporarily lost those memories. But the deep-seated hatred is what caused my soul to linger, tethered to James. 

It turns out, I wasn't staying because I loved him. 

I stayed because I hated him. 

When I died with our child, what was James doing? 

He was caring for someone else. For someone else's child. 

Perhaps sensing something, James, who had been speaking to Emma, suddenly furrowed his brow and looked around, but found nothing. 

Then his phone rang. 

Jack's trembling voice came through the other end. "James, I need to tell you something. Please, don't get upset." 

"I have a friend who's a traffic cop. There was a serious accident recently—both the driver and passenger died. They just identified the pregnant woman today." 

"James... that pregnant woman was Annie."